During our time in San Pedro Sacatepéquez and Villa Nueva, Guatemala, the reality of how one small action can accumulate into an impact greater than imagined truly came to life. ATI Global Reach partnered with Move Together to continue the work of sustainable change in Guatemala. This included partnering with the local municipality to help support and fund a new rehabilitation clinic in San Pedro Sacatepéquez.
In a region where physical therapy services have never been available, our team helped establish the construction and opening of a new clinic. Mayor Alcalde Buch shared his vision and gratitude with our team, and through translated Spanish, passionately encouraged us all that this new clinic represented a seed. A seed that would grow and spread throughout the entire community, and soon to the entire country. Mayor Buch excitedly envisioned all of his people receiving access to physical therapy and rehabilitation services and believed this single clinic had the potential to effectively change the state of healthcare in Guatemala.
When we returned to the clinic in Villa Nueva, I was able to witness the same vision grow into fruition. Last year, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the construction of a rehabilitation clinic in Villa Nueva with ATI Global Reach and Move Together. As I walked through the clinic one year later, tears uncontrollably filled my eyes. My heart was overwhelmed with joy and encouragement to see how four walls became a vibrant, decorated and local home of healing for neighbors, patients, children and PTs. The clinic not only provides care to over 100 patients a day, but it allows local Guatemalan PT’s an opportunity to work in their field for a fair wage, an unfortunate rarity in Guatemala.
While in Villa Nueva, I recall a conversation with APTA’s Vice President of Public Affairs, Katy Neas, in which she asked, “What would you say to people back home who might think that building one small clinic in the middle of Guatemala certainly can’t make a larger change in the world?” I excitedly responded to her by explaining how last year none of this existed.
This single clinic has sparked conversation all over the country to build more clinics which became part of the vision to open a clinic in San Pedro Sacatépequez. In such a short period of time, so much good has been done to change thousands of lives. Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” In that moment it became evident to me that all change, local and global, begins with saying “Yes”. Mayor Buch said “yes” to bringing physical therapy to his community, Move Together said “yes” to providing access to quality care around the world and Mayor Edwin Escobar said “yes” to providing multi-disciplinary rehabilitation to Villa Nueva and making his community more prosperous. You never know the potential of what can happen until you say “yes”. What will you say “yes” to?
– Stephanie Irwin, PT, DPT, OCS